Redemption
by ffreaderwriter
Summary: Songfic to Simple Plan's Untitled. Set during Exodus. Slight AU


I don't own anything except the idea for this story. Lyrics are to _Untitled_ by Simple Plan. No copyright infringement intended.

_I open my eyes  
I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light  
I can't remember how  
I can't remember why  
I'm lying here tonight_

Martha groggily opened her opened her eyes. She blinked repeatedly against the brightness of the white lights. Her mind felt really fuzzy. She moved her hand in front of her face to shield her eyes. That's when she noticed the IV connected to her arm. Everything began to slowly come to her. There was a wreck and the truck flipped. Jonathan. the baby. Were they okay?

Martha's heart sank. She held out hope that the child was okay, but she was really beginning to become afraid. She looked up and saw Jonathan entering the room. He was still dressed in the suit he was going to wear to the wedding. The look on his face told her everything she needed to know. His face had a look of extreme weariness and his eyes held utmost sadness in them.

He made his way toward her as she barely whispered. "No." It broke his heart, but he had to tell her while he still could. He sat down next to her. "They tried everything they could." He choked out the words. "We lost the baby."

Martha grabbed hold of him, her rock, her stability and sobbed uncontrollably on his shoulder as they shared their anguish. In the moment, she missed a pair of hurt and guilt filled eyes watching the scene and then quickly leaving.

Some time later Martha woke from the exhaustion to see Jonathan asleep in the chair across the room from her. She looked around and didn't see Clark anywhere. _Maybe he's gone to get him a drink_ she thought to himself. She shifted in bed and made a small noise from the effort of doing so.

Jonathan was awakened by the noise and blearily opened his eyes. "Honey, are you okay? Do I need to get you anything?"

"No, but where's Clark? Has he gone to get him something?" Martha asked unsure.

Jonathan looked down, it seemed the burden he carried grew greater in that moment as he had to answer her "I don't know."

Martha was now getting concerned. "What do you mean? Did he leave without saying where he was going? That's not like him."

Jonathan finally looked up at her and she could tell from the expression on his face that something had happened between the two of them that she didn't know about. "Jonathan, what happened?"

"Clark and I …." Jonathan started but didn't know if he had to the heart to tell her what had happened. He dropped his eyes and decided to indirectly answer the question. "We had a discussion after we got to the hospital."

"You mean you had an argument." Martha corrected. "What did you say to him?"

"I told him that his actions had consequences." Jonathan finally managed to answer. "You were here because of him not thinking things through." Jonathan lifted his eyes up at Martha again and she could see the regret in his eyes. "Then I turned and closed the door in front of him as I came in to see you. I basically shut him out."

"Oh, Jonathan." Martha said as she placed her hand over her mouth.

"Martha, I was upset. I wasn't thinking about how what I said affected him." Jonathan said. "

_I'm slipping off the edge_

_I'm hanging by a thread_

_I wanna start this over again_

_So I try to hold onto a time when nothing mattered_

Out of the dark night a scream can be heard filling the dirty alleyway. Clark manages to yank the ring off his finger and it falls to the ground next to him as he collapses on the ground exhausted. He manages to get himself to a sitting position and leans up against the building trying to catch his breath.

"_How did I end up here?"_ he thought to himself. Reality is more than he can deal with at the moment so he goes back in his memory to a simpler time.

They were out at dad's favorite fishing hole. The secret one that no one else knew about. It was just the two of them having a great time together. He had been waiting to go on this fishing trip for a long time.

"Okay, do you need me to put the worm on your line for you?" Jonathan lovingly asked the little boy.

"Nope, I've got it." Clark was a big boy now and big boys put their own worms on their lines.

"Okay, just be careful." Jonathan watched closely as Clark grabbed the wiggly worm and with great concentration placed it securely on the hook.

They cast their lines in and just sat for a while waiting for the fish to come along. It wasn't too long before Clark got a bite. Clark watched as his line bobbed slightly and then bobbed again.

"Dad!" He cried excited. "I think I got one."

"You think so?" Jonathan asked thrilled and saw the line bob again. He quickly stood beside Clark to see if would need any help. "Yeah, you've got one. Okay, now reel him in easy."

Clark started gently pulling on the line, but the fish wasn't going to come that easy. The fish started tugging on the line.

"I think you have a whopper there." Jonathan said smiling.

"Really?" Clark asked. "You think so."

"I know so." Jonathan said beaming. "Only big fish put up a fight."

After just a bit more struggle Clark reeled in his prize. It was a small minnow that was probably just a few inches long. But that didn't mater to Clark. It was as if he had caught Moby Dick.

"I caught it." Clark squealed.

"Yes, you did." Jonathan replied as he reached out to catch the line that was swinging in the air.

"Clark?" Jonathan asked cautiously as he saw Clark sitting down in the alley. He had heard the scream from the sidewalk while on one of his many hunts for his son. When he didn't get a response he became even more worried.

"Clark?" Jonathan got a response that time, but it wasn't the one he was expecting. Clark turned and looked at him as if he were a ghost.

"You're not real," Clark said his eyes wide. "You're just part of my imagination."

Clark reached his hand out toward the ring that lay on the ground just a little ways away from him.

Jonathan saw what he was reaching for and new this was going to be the only chance his got. He stepped closer and spoke quickly.

"I am too real." He then laid he hand on Clark's shoulder to prove to him that he was in fact standing right in front of him.

The touch made Clark flinch slightly as if reality was finding dawning on him. He looked up at his father. "I love you, son."

"How could you?" He asked with pain evident in his eyes. "After everything I've done. How could you love a murderer?"

"Clark, you are not a murderer." Jonathan said soothingly to Clark while squatting down so he could be closer to eye level with Clark.

"Yes, I am. I killed the baby." Clark spoke with pain evident in his voice.

"No, you didn't." Jonathan countered softly. "That accident was not your fault."

Clark looked away from Jonathan for a moment and looked back at the ring.

Jonathan knew he had to get his attention back on him. "Look at me, son."

Clark turned away from the ring but wouldn't look his father in the face.

"Clark, look at me."

Clark finally obeyed and looked into his father's eyes. "I love you and your mother loves you and we have been looking for you ever since you left. Yes, actions have consequences but that doesn't just apply to you. It applies to me too. I shouldn't have said those things to you in the hospital. I'm sorry. I was upset and I didn't think about how they would affect you. We don't blame you for what happened and you shouldn't blame yourself."

Clark didn't say anything but his eyes didn't waiver this time. Clark reached down while still keeping his eyes on his dad and handed the ring to Jonathan completely exhausted. Jonathan quietly placed the ring in his pocket. "Let's go home, son." Jonathan said standing as he took Clark hand and helped him up.


End file.
